Abstract
Sixteen neurotic patients with so-called neurocirculatory asthenia were examined in this study. Polygraphical observation was made of these subjects under resting state and the mental stress loading. Mental stress loading was given by letting the patients imagine the scene of first ranked hierarchy item that appeared in their self ratings of anxiety. During the mental stress loading, changes in GSR, digital plethysmotram, heart rate, respiration, EMG, peripheral skin temperature and systolic blood pressure were determined simultaneously.Following results were obtained from the present study ;1) The patients were divided into the responded and unresponded groups according to the polygraphical response to the mental stress loading. The patients in both groups, however, told that they could imagine the scene vividly.2) The responded group showed remarkable polygraphical changes being accompanied with acute anxiety, while no polygraphical changes or anxiety was triggered in the unresponded group.3) The unresponded group was occupied by the patients with profound conflicts or frustrations whose clinical diagnosis was hysterical or hypochondriacal neurosis. On the other hand, the patients with phobic neurosis occupied the responded group.4) Systemic desensitization therapy was significantly more effective in the responded group than the unresponded group.
